Herman José

Herman José is considered the biggest comedian/entertainer in the Portuguese scene of all times. His career had an humble star in the 70s, when he performed as singer and co-hosted a few varieties shows (Zip-Zip). His first big success as a comedian was with "O Tal Canal" where he performed several characters from a fictitious TV channel. "Hermanias" was the next success show (in the same genre) but was interrupted by government demand after he made a joke on Our Lady of Fátima (one of the most important religious icons in Portugal). However, his career never stopped: A "Roda da Sorte" (Portuguese version of Wheel of Fortune), "Com a Verdade m'Enganas" and "Parabéns" were shows that, originally, were not intended to be funny but, with Herman hosting them, soon became humor references. He returned with humor-conceived shows in the 90s. "Herman Enciclopédia" and "Herman 98" revealed that Herman's humor was still on (although the scripts were mainly written by Produções Fictícias - a Herman-owned TV company).

In 2000 Herman moved from RTP (were he performed all his life, that far) to SIC (a private channel). Hosting "HermanSic" (more of a talk-show than a humor-show) he changed his style a little. Many think that for worse. Using a more-obvious humor, many times with physical or sexual references he managed, tough, to keep is regular audience.

For his truly remarkable career, Herman Jose is considered the biggest entertainer and a cultural reference in Portugal. Because of him, an entire generation uses quotes from several of his characters.